YOGYAKARTA, 3 July 2026 – The 16th UGM Public Health Symposium (PHS 16) served as a prominent platform for showcasing cutting-edge technological innovations in healthcare. The event prominently highlighted robust international academic and research collaborations, notably demonstrated through the closely aligned work of the speakers, Prof. Huan X. Nguyen (Director of the Digital Twin Research Centre at Middlesex University London) and Dr. Ari Prayogo Pribadi (Postdoc under TECHLEAD Program). Together, they bring a shared grand vision of utilising dynamic virtual replicas (Digital Twins) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to advance disease prevention and public health education.
During his international keynote session titled “Leveraging Digital Twins for Advanced Epidemiological Education,”Prof. Huan X. Nguyen explored the transformative potential of digital twin technology. Prof. Huan explained that digital twins are dynamic virtual representations of real-world objects, systems, or processes that are continuously updated using real-time data. By integrating simulation, monitoring, analysis, and predictive capabilities, this technology provides invaluable insights to support data-driven decision-making across public health sectors. Through data-driven simulations, digital twins can provide interactive learning environments that help students and professionals better understand disease dynamics and safely evaluate potential intervention strategies. While addressing these massive opportunities, Prof. Huan also emphasised the challenges associated with data quality, interoperability, privacy, data governance, and the responsible deployment of AI through interdisciplinary collaboration.
Perfectly aligning with the conceptual framework presented by Prof. Nguyen, Dr. Ari Prayogo Pribadi operationalised this digital ecosystem in his presentation titled “Evidence-Based Applications of AI in Public Health Interventions and Community Education: From Screening to Education for Musculoskeletal Health”. Dr. Ari’s research specifically addresses underserved musculoskeletal disorders-such as poor trunk posture and scoliosis-which stand among the leading causes of disability globally.
Dr. Ari identified a critical research gap where existing solutions, such as AI scoliosis screening, ergonomic assessment tools, and VR education, operate in isolated silos. Under the guidance of Prof. Huan, Dr. Ari designed Indonesia’s first integrated AI-VR musculoskeletal health ecosystem. This ecosystem connects three purpose-built applications to create a continuous pathway toward a long-term Digital Twin platform for lifelong health monitoring:
- TRUNK AI: A computer vision application that detects body asymmetry and identifies potential scoliosis risks in children and adolescents using standard smartphone images.
- ERGO AI DESK: An AI-powered ergonomic assessment tool for adults designed to evaluate workstation posture risks, validated using 2,928 real-world office environment images.
- VR ERGO: An immersive educational platform utilizing Virtual Reality (VR) and gamification designed to translate structural health awareness into lasting, positive behavior changes.
Through this framework, Dr. Ari reinforced that AI becomes truly meaningful in public health when risk identification is systematically connected to actionable steps: moving from early detection and risk classification to personalised feedback, immersive education, and measurable long-term monitoring or referral support.
The synergy between Prof. Huan Nguyen’s macro-level vision of digital twin technology and Dr. Ari Prayogo Pribadi’s micro-level implementation of evidence-based AI interventions illustrates how digital health innovations can successfully tackle increasingly complex health challenges. This global collaboration underscores the critical importance of preparing future public health professionals to reach communities earlier, safer, and more effectively.
Source: PHS UGM 2026 Team